Watford not backing down in Silva dispute

How many managers have the Pozzo's sacked since they took over? They have caused enough intrisnsic damage all on their own. Once I have stopped laughing at the triple standards, I may Google it.

And get your own tune. Twats.

Who is doing our negotiating? Smashie and Nicey, or maybe Walter and the Softees from the Beano? I cannot believe that Brands could be so naive, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted 3 weeks in his previous job.

The Pozzos at Watford will be sat in their caravan drinking champagne and laughing their arses off. Even their Godfather will be pleased.

They will be seeking a points deduction knowing full well how keen the FA are to make an example of Everton as they never dare touch any of the top 6 for similar offences (RS got off with a letter of apology and the player) or when taking a stand on issues like diving. Given that Premiership cash increases based on finishing position Watford see it as an opportunity to finish above us or potentially even get us into relegation trouble.

We are a complete laughing stock.

Now watch in awe as we 'reluctantly' accept £15 million for Lookman.

I think Watford are a tad upset because their form went pear shaped following our approach. If that's the case, then blame your own shit players rather than lay the blame on somebody else.

"The complaint to the Premier League makes clear the seriousness of the allegation and what the club believes is overwhelming evidence of a clear breach of Premier League rules."

This is from the Premier League Handbook:

[Clubs] Will respect the contractual obligations and responsibilities of each other’s employees and not seek to breach these or to make illegal approaches.

(Rule P.2)
Appendix 6
Code of Conduct for Clubs

1. In all discussions, negotiations and transactions relating to the employment of Managers, each Club shall behave towards each other Club with the utmost good faith.

2. A Club shall not (either directly or through any third party) enter into negotiations relating to the employment of another Club’s Manager without the prior permission of that Club.

3. A Club shall not take any steps (including the making of statements to the media) to induce another Club’s Manager to act in breach of the terms of his contract with his Club.

4. A Club shall strictly observe the terms of its contract with its Manager and, in particular, if on the determination of the contract any sum is payable by the Club to the Manager, the Club shall ensure that prompt settlement is made.

"We believe this situation is not about a compensation figure"

How honourable of them to not make this about compensation... when they know full well there's no chance of compensation.

Must admit, the conspiracy theories about Richarlison were outlandish. Transfer deals are hard enough to get over the line without throwing strange payments and additional agreements into the mix. About as likely as the swap or part exchange deals that get mooted every pre-season.

With regards to tapping up, let's face it we'd be livid if we were sitting near the top of the league in November only to drop like a stone after a bigger club makes it publicly known they want our manager. For that to last longer than a couple of months just feels petty though.

Silva himself played a big part in that. It was he who made it clear he wanted to go after only a short time at the club.

It's hard not to have that niggling away at the back of the mind...

Correct me if I’m wrong, didn’t Watford make a similar approach for Silva when he was the Hull manager? If that’s not hypocritical I don’t know what is.

What’s the situation with Silva’s claim for unpaid wages with Watford?

I’m not one for revenge, but I sincerely hope they get relegated.

I would hope that any sanction meeted out will be suspended if proven!

If the case is found in favour of Watford, I would fine Everton £1 (I’m being serious) and get Watford to pay the costs.

It was a pleasure doing business with you over Richarlison. He does indeed have bags of potential and I hope he does really for you as I like to see Watford players who go on to bigger clubs do well. The gap between us (at the moment) in terms of size isn't so huge though. As for the price, well that's just money. Yes a fair amount of that potential being realised has been included in the fee, and therefore it represents something of a gamble for Everton. I hope it comes off for you guys. What Everton fans want is the same as Watford fans - we want good players at our club. In Richarlison, you have one. He's young though, so let him breathe and don't get on his back. There was no pressure on him at Watford. He'll be expected to deliver at Everton.

The days of bigger clubs mugging Watford ended when the Pozzo's took over. If Everton have broken a rule then it seems fair that they would be held to account, no? I'm sure if Silva does well for you then you'd prefer, say, Man Utd to not break any rules should they decide they would like him as manager?

As for Marco Silva himself, he will get you fired up and potentially playing some of the best football you will have seen in a while. I expect you will also become vulnerable to unexpected defeats because in delivering his swashbuckling style (and it is great to watch) the more seasoned football experts among the Everton fanbase will be glancing at one another nervously with the level of risk taken. It's fun, though, and for a while we were incredible at the start of last season . until Marco's head was turned. So lets get one thing right here, the only twat is Marco himself, but you'll come to understand that in time when you pick through his incoherent post match mumblings. That is if you can see past the giant watch on his wrist that he will be prominently displaying as he's paid a handsome ransom to do so.

Remember that Watford and Everton are not so dissimilar. Clubs rooted in the community, with a very low percentage of idiot fans. Your aims generally are a little higher than ours. We have spent most of our history outside the top flight, but we are back, and we have incredibly stable and strong leadership at the club.

Could Watford go down? We are 4th or 5th favourites to be relegated depending on your choice of bookmaker. Probably about right. Another way of looking at it, is that we are odds on to remain one of the 20 best teams in the land. So yes we might go down, but have we been weakened by selling a Fluminense player (Richarlison) and getting a Barcelona player (your old boy Deulofeu)? No. Very different players of course and we are well aware that Deulofeu may drift. However, conversely, he may settle at our little club, and as you know, he can single handedly rip teams apart as he did at Vicarage Road last season when we handed Chelsea a 4-1 thumping.

Anyone who has read this far, clearly you love football as much as me. If not I'm sure I'll get comments that I'm a twat.

: )

"Save as otherwise permitted by these Rules, no Club shall directly or indirectly induce or attempt to induce any Player, Manager, assistant manager, head coach or other senior first team football coach of another Club (or Football League club) to terminate a contract of employment with that other Club (or Football League club) (whether or not by breach of that contract) or directly or indirectly approach any such employee with a view to offering employment without the consent of that other Club (or Football League club)."

So it's all about 'consent'. Presumably, Everton asked and they said "No". But would Everton have asked without directly or indirectly approaching Silva? Seems highly unlikely.

Soon after, Watford's players lost their form and started playing badly as happens to most teams at some time in a season. They then sacked their manager (like we did with Koeman when our form slumped). Now, instead of accepting these events as a normal part of a football season they look to blame us for their PLAYERS loss of form.

I hope the PL laugh them out of court. If we did anything wrong, it was trying to do business with a bunch of idiots who have no idea how to run a football club.

As I understand it, they also owe Silva a whole lot of cash in unpaid wages. Doesn't exactly make them look whiter than white does it?

Saying that, I would love it if Watford got relegated. Reminds me of Swansea fans chirping on at us after we bought Sigurdsson off them and now look where they are.

Watford and its owners need to be whiter than white in their historic dealings or they will be accused of hypocrisy.

As the rules stand, it appears we are the innocent party here. We should get the best barrister money can buy, sue them for defamatory attacks and damaging the club’s brand.

Thanks for that, which makes it even more farcical!!!

"They will be seeking a points deduction knowing full well how keen the FA are to make an example of Everton".

Who the fuck told you that? Where did you read it and why would the FA want to punish Everton?

"... as they never dare touch any of the top 6 for similar offences."

Seriously! If nothing else, Everton are a club that will honour and respect whatever rules the FA publish. You are talking about a club that has played in the top league of English football for 114 years. No club can touch that, certainly no club who are currently in the "top 6". You are talking about Everton Football Club and we do not have any concerns regarding the FA and any club in English football, including any team in the top 6 of the Premier League. We have won more titles that Man City and Spurs combined.

If we have paid Watford any compensation within the Richarlison transfer fee, it will be because we can and it's what we do. We are a founder member of the English FA and have a strong history and interaction with the Football Association.

We are Everton and Watford FC know full well who they are.

If something happened in secret, behind the scenes, then we obviously wouldn't know about it. On the face of it we have broken no rule - the argument Watford are making is that we done something behind the scenes. The fact that this has not gone away probably suggests they are right or at least they feel they have a case.

Just because we are fans and are therefore going to be strongly in favor of Everton being innocent, does not mean we have an inherent knowledge of what actually took place 'unofficially'.

Will any club take them seriously anymore? Who will want to deal with them?

Dealing with Watford should carry a health warning.

Deal without Watford at your peril! In short, leave well alone.

I briefly looked at their forum. It's just a cesspit of bitterness and vile hatred because of what has happened. I'd rather beat them next year than the RS.

If we just concluded a multi-million deal for them, sweep it under the rug already.

I hope we crush them 10-0 this season.

We should sue them for libel or whatever the British equivalent of that is.

In which case, surely there is no real case to answer once the waters have been muddied by the press.

How much would we sue them for... £35-40M?

I seem to remember Man Utd's Pogba openly tapping up Lukaku. Does that count or is it okay for players to do their club's preliminaries before recruitment?

Frankly, it defies belief. I cannot see how we could have created such a ridiculous situation without breaking Premier League rules.

I'm sorry to have to correct you, but you'd be hard pushed to find a Watford fan who doesn't think we've got the better end of the Richarlison deal. We have all sorts of hopes and worries for our season but nothing Everton related.

We respect your great club and we acknowledge you are a bigger club. Right now Everton are punching below their weight and Watford are punching above. Just remember that there are plenty of us, like me, steeped in the traditions and bound to the rollercoaster ride of our own clubs.

As with any Watford player who goes to a bigger club, I want them to do well so I hope he smashes them in for you and that you forgive him the inevitable wild misses as he's prone to a few. Let him grow and I'm sure you'll end up with a great player.

If Everton broke a rule then that should be dealt with accordingly. If not, then we move on. I was in the camp of thinking it would be a good idea to include any kind of resolution in the Richarlison deal. It would've allowed Everton to save face. As it stands it looks like some other kind of resolution is required. The Premier League will need to be seen enforcing it's own rules otherwise they will lose authority. Again, this is IF Everton have broken the rules. No-one wants to see a points deduction for Everton. Compensation would have worked, but it looks like that is off the table now.

Sad to read some people on here wishing us relegation..

Now trying to save face...or its a ploy to pretend the money isn't built into the Richarlison fee.

They've sewn their own crop of blight, over the years as much as the EFC board has run down the club for so long until Farhad Moshiri came in.

They never got over Andy Gray's header in 1984. I hope we turn them over good style this season.

If then we have broken the rules, then we will formally apologise, like Liverpool did over the much more financially significant Van Dijk signing.

If we are proved not to have broken any rules as they are, Watford should pay us damages for repeatedly and unjustly defaming our club and damaging Everton's brand.

Welcome to ToffeeWeb and well done for a reasonable and reasoned post. I'm sure you'll agree there's zealots on all fansites and this one is no exception mate.

None of us fans will ever know if there's been a transgression or not and I think it'll be down to who can prove what. Shame it has come to this really.

Overall though, there's bigger stuff to worry about for us, like who scores goals for us this season. No doubts there's bigger stuff to worry about for you, like beating Liverpool and trying to get into the top 6.

@Brian 36 - thanks for the welcome and also agreed, mate. Would prefer this to have been dealt with and filed under "unfortunate events" some months ago. The two clubs have come together to do a spectacular transfer so there is enough good communication between the clubs to suggest a resolution is possible. In my experience the will of the owners can become obfuscated by the layer of lawyers in between. Both counterparties will want this distraction resolved.

@Paul 34 - Disagree with your comments in general but there was one truth in there. I was a 9 year old boy in 1984 and that FA Cup Final defeat did break my heart. I'd watched us finish runners up to your noisy neighbours in the league and there was an incredible magic around our provincial small town club during those years. And I mean incredible. My life long love for Watford FC was cemented around that time. Did I ever "get over" Andy Grays header? Probably not. Remember we are a smaller club and to achieve what we did was unprecedented. I saw an interview with Graham Taylor saying he bore Andy Gray no ill will and that he thought it was a fair challenge. He did say it with a wry smile on his face though!

I was not referring to the Richarlison deal. I was talking about Silva-gate. And my comments about the Watford fans forum were absolutely correct and there to be viewed. It's vitriolic.

Yes, I imagine that, as here on this forum, you will find partisan commentary regarding Silva-gate. My view is I don't think it's worth being so emotionally invested to the point of saying you'd rather beat Watford than the RS.

Imagine you beat us 1-0 and the RS do you 10-0. That would not be satisfying surely?

By the way, I'm ready for Richarlison to smash a worldy into the top bin at Vicarage Road, with his weak foot, in extra time. It's just scripted.

Or maybe Cleverley will read the script this season and not hand you the points again!

I like @39 Si's idea.

If it was the other way around and I was making a decision on an approach by Watford for one of our players, I would tell them to stick their enquiry so far up their derriere it tickled their ruddy throat.

Nice to hear from you in a rational manner. A pity your hierarchy cannot conduct themselves accordingly.

Sorry to say that I am in the relegation camp.

How do your fellow supporters truly feel?

It’s the Pozzos who are the problem. Not the fans of Watford. Our opinion of that club should not be tainted by the actions of these idiots.

Ben, thanks for telling us. All the best for the future mate. I certainly don’t wish you relegation.

The owners of the club at Watford are very well supported by the fan base precisely because they conduct themselves very professionally. They have proven to be unemotional and highly rational when it comes to running the club. My opinion is that this is why a deal was possible for Richarlison. The number was reached that the Pozzo family regarded was in Watford's interest to sell, and so they sold.

The history here is that we had a succession of owners running the club into the ground and now we have guys lifting us up, building stands, upgrading everything, winning incredible transfer fees (Ighalo, Richarlison). We had a slump at the end, but we were barely out of the top 10 all season. This is Watford, remember, and these are incredible times for us.

This will just rumble on...

For me, it started going downhill when Sean Dyche was shown the door.

I respect your views, it's a pity your hierarchy cannot conduct themselves accordingly.

Like everyone, I am hoping that is complete bollocks but, in view of the fact that they have now stated it is not about monetary compensation, it leaves me with the worry that maybe there is some truth in that accusation.

If that is the case, it is a poorer appointment than I at first anticipated.

1. Don't speak to the media about this stuff. Watford did when sacking Silva and now, after getting circa £35m-£45m for Richarlison. If it's about principle, then keep your principles and do not blurt out before a decision is made.

2. Don't say to the media, it's not about compensation. ADR does not take 6 months plus IF Watford's resolution is not about compensation. Clearly it is and they're upset that form went bad and the compensation offered was reduced. Sour grapes.

3. What goes around, comes around – Watford sacking managers and managers thinking they're better elsewhere. Everton losing Moyes for nowt and looking elsewhere.

4. Agree with you entirely that taking this personally and wanting Watford relegated and beaten more than RS is nuts. But again, your owners seem to be taking this very personally. Tap up of players and managers is usual and Watford refused to play ball as they're entitled to and their choice and we were forced elsewhere.

5. I may be wrong, I have no idea what went on, but the likelihood is that EFC did nothing more extreme than any other club in the Premier League, including Watford would do. If we did, as you say, we deserve to be dealt with – although highly unlikely to be points deduction.

6. Conclusion - your owners appear mad, delusional and above their station; the response that they can go fuck themselves appears considered and fair.

Either the Premier League will concoct a way of making an example of us (as has previously been mentioned on here) as it is easier than punishing a top 6 side, or Watford will be left looking stupid.

Is there really any difference in this to the way Moyes left us after Man Utd contacted him? He let his contract run down and cost us millions.

Now the Reds are laughing at the cost of Richarlison. The fee is exorbitant, but has not been accurately reported - the BBC firing off sensational headlines of £50 million. My only thought is Silva must know something if he is that adamant he wanted him.

Peter (57), Yours is an emotional response. It isn't nice, I imagine, having another club (Watford) asserting that your club (Everton) has broken Premier League rules.

Andy (58), Our prized possession is Gino Pozzo. He's just sold Richarlison for nearly £40M profit after less than 12 months. If you think I'm being flippant, then Google "Gino Pozzo flag". We don't have giant flags of Troy Deeney, or our head coach.

Like all well-seasoned football fans, we were cautious when Gino took over 6 years ago. The way this unassuming, Harvard-educated man has led our club has been utterly incredible. We scrutinise our owners in depth at Watford and I can assure you that he has delivered.

"On slither – he is the least loyal/ most ego-driven manager we have had – and we have had a lot."

Haha, I'm not having that!! You've got a short memory if you've forgotten about Brendan "how dare you question my integrity" Rodgers! I'd like to think we are a slightly bigger club and head turner than Reading!